You, IIRC, are the English Major, but I think English language writing has toiled for too long under yoke of "realism", and fantasy in a weird manner hyper-compensates for its lack of cred and offers less of a fantasy world than an alternate overly realized tedium. Hence all the stupidities of Tolkien and I guess this TV show / book series to have "real languages", elaborate histories, etc. It's nearly as formulaic a writing as there was.

So many modern fantasists claim Dunsany as an influence, but Dunsany just wanted to tell beautiful stories with beautiful language- he couldn't care less about being realistic, believable, etc., and as a result his world is far more engrossing and "real."

What's this Robert Jordan fellow all about?

Had some co-worker a long time ago that read him.

LOL! It's the likes of him who make the pubescent fantasies of Martin seem "adult" to the perpetual prepubescents who eat his stuff up.

You, IIRC, are the English Major, but I think English language writing has toiled for too long under yoke of "realism", and fantasy in a weird manner hyper-compensates for its lack of cred and offers less of a fantasy world than an alternate overly realized tedium. Hence all the stupidities of Tolkien and I guess this TV show / book series to have "real languages", elaborate histories, etc. It's nearly as formulaic a writing as there was.

So many modern fantasists claim Dunsany as an influence, but Dunsany just wanted to tell beautiful stories with beautiful language- he couldn't care less about being realistic, believable, etc., and as a result his world is far more engrossing and "real."

I probably should read the books first, but I'm actually enjoying most of the story lines (I really don't care about Jon Snow and his love interest).

The whole show is pretty stupid, but I guess your penchant for CGI, dragons, and modern Hollywood magic blinds you to this.

The books are worse. The imaginative faculty of anyone who enjoys such prose must resemble that of a dung beetle.

But to your point, the actors all around in the series are pretty bad, but the hack playing the John Snow character does take the case for some of the worst line reading ever.

Sure the midget is OK, but far less nuanced than the > 35 BMI crowd would suggest.

I never said it was genius or cutting edge or anything of the like. I'm pretty surprised I have enjoyed it since I spent a fair amount of time trashing it. Finally, I took the time to actually watch it and retracted most of what I had said.

Maybe a better actor would improve Jon Snow, but I just don't like his storyline especially concerning his willing love interest.

Buffy is a rough start. And since it changed TV for all time, it doesn't pop like it did then. The general consensus is probably to skip season one. Maybe start in season two, some would argue three, but that seems like madness to me.

I really don't care. Just watch through season 3. It is only like 32 hours of your life after all.

I found it hard at first to get into Season 1, but looking back I think it's best to watch it all in order.

So many modern fantasists claim Dunsany as an influence, but Dunsany just wanted to tell beautiful stories with beautiful language- he couldn't care less about being realistic, believable, etc., and as a result his world is far more engrossing and "real."

I enjoy Lord Dunsany's use of language very much. His choice of a particular word can add nuance and meaning in a wonderful way. Which authors in particular are you thinking of who claim his influence, if I may ask?

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"I wish they would remember that the charge to Peter was "Feed my sheep", not "Try experiments on my rats", or even "Teach my performing dogs new tricks". - C. S. Lewis

With all the same caveats of when Buffy first started and Veronica Mars.

Sorta picks up pieces from Dollhouse.

The actress playing the clones is rough at first but learns to much more versatile than the forever wooden Dushku.

Sure some of the casting is off, yes the acting is rather broad, the production pretty much pan by numbers, and arguably has "adult themes" pried into the show, but a decent storyline all the same and the the plot picks up quickly and seeing Maslany go from wincingly bad to pretty decent over the course of 10 episodes is interesting.

If you like rooting for the girl who got screwed over by the man, which I can't seem to resist save for that The Girl Who vile trash, this is for you, for now.

I saw that too. I'm not sure how much longer football can survive the way it's played today. And I'm not sure what rule changes could make any real difference without radically altering the game as we know it. But I guess if big tobacco could survive, football can too.

Selam

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"Whether it’s the guillotine, the hangman’s noose, or reciprocal endeavors of militaristic horror, radical evil will never be recompensed with radical punishment. The only answer, the only remedy, and the only truly effective response to radical evil is radical love."+ Gebre Menfes Kidus +http://bookstore.authorhouse.com/Products/SKU-000984270/Rebel-Song.aspx

The Hollow Crown made up of Richard II, Henry IV Pt. 1, Henry IV, Pt. 2 and Henry V which has a rather splendid cast and the man playing Falstaff, Simon Russell Beale, is exceedingly good. Ben Wishaw is Richard, Rory Kinnear is the younger Henry Bolinbroke and Patrick Stewart is John of Gaunt in the first program. Jeremy Irons is King Henry IV on the two middle plays and Tom Hiddleston is Prince Hal/Henry V.

« Last Edit: October 13, 2013, 12:06:19 PM by Ebor »

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"I wish they would remember that the charge to Peter was "Feed my sheep", not "Try experiments on my rats", or even "Teach my performing dogs new tricks". - C. S. Lewis

The Hollow Crown made up of Richard II, Henry IV Pt. 1, Henry IV, Pt. 2 and Henry V which has a rather splendid cast and the man playing Falstaff, Simon Russell Beale, is exceedingly good. Ben Wishaw is Richard, Rory Kinnear is the younger Henry Bolinbroke and Patrick Stewart is John of Gaunt in the first program. Jeremy Irons is King Henry IV on the two middle plays and Tom Hiddleston is Prince Hal/Henry V.

It is pretty awesome with filming in old castles, a cathedral and out of doors for battles. These aren't "casts of thousands" but that's OK The French characters in Henry V are played by French actors which is nicely done and Mistress Quickly is Julie Walters.

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"I wish they would remember that the charge to Peter was "Feed my sheep", not "Try experiments on my rats", or even "Teach my performing dogs new tricks". - C. S. Lewis

The Hollow Crown made up of Richard II, Henry IV Pt. 1, Henry IV, Pt. 2 and Henry V which has a rather splendid cast and the man playing Falstaff, Simon Russell Beale, is exceedingly good. Ben Wishaw is Richard, Rory Kinnear is the younger Henry Bolinbroke and Patrick Stewart is John of Gaunt in the first program. Jeremy Irons is King Henry IV on the two middle plays and Tom Hiddleston is Prince Hal/Henry V.

What network is this on? Sounds awesome.

It is awesome. It is also all on YouTube.

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'Evil isn't the real threat to the world. Stupid is just as destructive as evil, maybe more so, and it's a hell of a lot more common. What we really need is a crusade against stupid. That might actually make a difference.'~Harry Dresden

The Hollow Crown made up of Richard II, Henry IV Pt. 1, Henry IV, Pt. 2 and Henry V which has a rather splendid cast and the man playing Falstaff, Simon Russell Beale, is exceedingly good. Ben Wishaw is Richard, Rory Kinnear is the younger Henry Bolinbroke and Patrick Stewart is John of Gaunt in the first program. Jeremy Irons is King Henry IV on the two middle plays and Tom Hiddleston is Prince Hal/Henry V.

What network is this on? Sounds awesome.

It is awesome. It is also all on YouTube.

Thanks for that, I didn't know it was on Youtube. I caught Henry V the other night on television and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was disappointed when I realised I started at the end rather than the beginning.

The Hollow Crown made up of Richard II, Henry IV Pt. 1, Henry IV, Pt. 2 and Henry V which has a rather splendid cast and the man playing Falstaff, Simon Russell Beale, is exceedingly good. Ben Wishaw is Richard, Rory Kinnear is the younger Henry Bolinbroke and Patrick Stewart is John of Gaunt in the first program. Jeremy Irons is King Henry IV on the two middle plays and Tom Hiddleston is Prince Hal/Henry V.

What network is this on? Sounds awesome.

It is awesome. It is also all on YouTube.

Yes. We also have a "Roku" box attached to the TV which sends things like Netflix directly there. One of the free channels is PBS and The Hollow Crown is for the next few weeks there, too.

« Last Edit: October 13, 2013, 01:52:42 PM by Ebor »

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"I wish they would remember that the charge to Peter was "Feed my sheep", not "Try experiments on my rats", or even "Teach my performing dogs new tricks". - C. S. Lewis

"Whether it’s the guillotine, the hangman’s noose, or reciprocal endeavors of militaristic horror, radical evil will never be recompensed with radical punishment. The only answer, the only remedy, and the only truly effective response to radical evil is radical love."+ Gebre Menfes Kidus +http://bookstore.authorhouse.com/Products/SKU-000984270/Rebel-Song.aspx

I caught Henry V the other night on television and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was disappointed when I realised I started at the end rather than the beginning.

Henry V naturally gets more press because it's the only part of the series that has been done as an independent movie. Not fond of either Olivier's or Branagh's versions, but this one felt just right. Probably because it was in context.

Also, last night I caught By Any Means, and I'm intrigued enough to look up previous episodes. It may seem derivative as an idea, but it was the very Britishness of it that particularly appealed to me.

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'Evil isn't the real threat to the world. Stupid is just as destructive as evil, maybe more so, and it's a hell of a lot more common. What we really need is a crusade against stupid. That might actually make a difference.'~Harry Dresden

I like him a lot. The new show is basically the same as No Reservations but with better cinematography. Has anyone noticed that the advertisements for the show keep using a scene from Gergeti monastery in Georgia? I am hoping he is actually going to do a Georgia episode.

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Quote

“A goose to hatch the Crystal Egg after an Eagle had half-hatched it! Aye, aye, to be sure, that’s right,” said the Old Woman of Beare. “And now you must go find out what happened to it. Go now, and when you come back I will give you your name.”

The Hollow Crown made up of Richard II, Henry IV Pt. 1, Henry IV, Pt. 2 and Henry V which has a rather splendid cast and the man playing Falstaff, Simon Russell Beale, is exceedingly good. Ben Wishaw is Richard, Rory Kinnear is the younger Henry Bolinbroke and Patrick Stewart is John of Gaunt in the first program. Jeremy Irons is King Henry IV on the two middle plays and Tom Hiddleston is Prince Hal/Henry V.

What network is this on? Sounds awesome.

It is awesome. It is also all on YouTube.

Thanks for that, I didn't know it was on Youtube. I caught Henry V the other night on television and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was disappointed when I realised I started at the end rather than the beginning.

If you can, I recommend that you watch the whole series in order. The contrast between Richard II in the beginning through to Henry IV and the development and change in Prince Hal who then becomes King Henry V is brilliantly done.

Seeing them all in the span of three weeks or so really helped one to understand the connections as well as how many lines and phrases are part of English language: "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown" "Once more into the breach" "This scepter'd isle" "at the turn of the tide" "Band of brothers" and many more.

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"I wish they would remember that the charge to Peter was "Feed my sheep", not "Try experiments on my rats", or even "Teach my performing dogs new tricks". - C. S. Lewis

Walking Dead season premiere... Zombie virus has gone airborne............ That's not good

Oh and there was a scene where the Zombie's are falling through a roof and on top of the good guys. it was sort of "raining Zombies"...Very well done. They must be earning money on the series because the production values for that scene was very high. Not your usual schlock.

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Your idea has been debunked 1000 times already.. Maybe 1001 will be the charm

One odd coincidence/connection between The Hollow Crown and a program that I had mentioned on this thread earlier Pie in the Sky the British program about a police detective who also cooks and has a restaurant: Richard Griffiths who played Henry Crabbe the detective is in Henry V as the Duke of Burgundy, one of his last roles. Meanwhile in the part of the Archbishop of Canterbury is Malcolm Sinclair who was Henry Crabbe's conniving boss ACC Fisher (he has gravitas and dignity in Shakespeare that Fisher lacks).

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"I wish they would remember that the charge to Peter was "Feed my sheep", not "Try experiments on my rats", or even "Teach my performing dogs new tricks". - C. S. Lewis

"Whether it’s the guillotine, the hangman’s noose, or reciprocal endeavors of militaristic horror, radical evil will never be recompensed with radical punishment. The only answer, the only remedy, and the only truly effective response to radical evil is radical love."+ Gebre Menfes Kidus +http://bookstore.authorhouse.com/Products/SKU-000984270/Rebel-Song.aspx

I like him a lot. The new show is basically the same as No Reservations but with better cinematography. Has anyone noticed that the advertisements for the show keep using a scene from Gergeti monastery in Georgia? I am hoping he is actually going to do a Georgia episode.

No, I didn't notice. Very cool!

I loved the recent episode on Israel. Talk about, "I laughed and I cried."

Selam

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"Whether it’s the guillotine, the hangman’s noose, or reciprocal endeavors of militaristic horror, radical evil will never be recompensed with radical punishment. The only answer, the only remedy, and the only truly effective response to radical evil is radical love."+ Gebre Menfes Kidus +http://bookstore.authorhouse.com/Products/SKU-000984270/Rebel-Song.aspx

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Who can watch the watchmen?"No one is paying attention to your post reports"Why do posters that claim to have me blocked keep sending me pms and responding to my posts? That makes no sense.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Who can watch the watchmen?"No one is paying attention to your post reports"Why do posters that claim to have me blocked keep sending me pms and responding to my posts? That makes no sense.

Actually, yes. Nice to see they can do something decent without spending billions on special effects. And Coulson is great.

I've been waiting for more than a handful of episodes to appear before checking it out. As I've said, I like nearly all of Whedon's stuff, The Avengers being a huge exception. If the show manages to work in a large arc, I'll probably be a sucker for it.

Michal, to ask a dumb question, what is some good TV coming out of your area? I've really been remiss in checking out TV from EE and am not sure where to start. It would have to popular enough to find it subtitled in English or German for me to watch it.

Michal, to ask a dumb question, what is some good TV coming out of your area? I've really been remiss in checking out TV from EE and am not sure where to start. It would have to popular enough to find it subtitled in English or German for me to watch it.

"Czas honoru"

The only one modern Polish show that is not considered complete trash AFAIK.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Who can watch the watchmen?"No one is paying attention to your post reports"Why do posters that claim to have me blocked keep sending me pms and responding to my posts? That makes no sense.

'Evil isn't the real threat to the world. Stupid is just as destructive as evil, maybe more so, and it's a hell of a lot more common. What we really need is a crusade against stupid. That might actually make a difference.'~Harry Dresden

The Hollow Crown made up of Richard II, Henry IV Pt. 1, Henry IV, Pt. 2 and Henry V which has a rather splendid cast and the man playing Falstaff, Simon Russell Beale, is exceedingly good. Ben Wishaw is Richard, Rory Kinnear is the younger Henry Bolinbroke and Patrick Stewart is John of Gaunt in the first program. Jeremy Irons is King Henry IV on the two middle plays and Tom Hiddleston is Prince Hal/Henry V.